


Apples at Sunset

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-16 22:57:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19327819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: On her first night in Jorvik, Louisa goes out exploring with her horse that she's been assigned for the summer.





	Apples at Sunset

After spending the day meeting new people and learning new things in Moorland (as well as getting used to being in the saddle again), Louisa had expected that she’d be so tired she’d fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. But, as she returned to her inn room and stood in the small space cluttered with her belongings already, Louisa felt wide awake. It was jet lag all over again, though it shouldn’t be- Cape West wasn’t that far away from Moorland, they hadn’t crossed any time zones to get here. Maybe it was just all of that residual excitement or nervous energy spilling out of her.

Searching for something to do with all of that energy, Louisa unpacked her duffel bag that she’d brought here with her and made an attempt to make her inn room look homely. Her Starshine plush was placed on the pillow, as were her neatly-folded pyjamas (the winter set since it got quite cool of a night, she’d noticed). She placed her other folded clothes in the chest of drawers that had been provided, and her toothbrush and toothpaste on the vanity in the bathroom. She placed her shampoo and conditioner, as well as her body wash and loofah, in the shower (it had a bathtub beneath it, making her think of buying some bath salts or a bath bomb in the future). And then, after placing her books on the small bookshelf (she hadn’t brought many to make things easier for the mare), Louisa stood in the middle of her room again. She’d made it look nice, but she still felt restless. Almost like her feet itched to walk, to explore, to roam this new land that she was now strangely independent in. And, well, she had a horse.

Jenna had warned the people at the camp not to stay out too late and to travel in groups as that would be safest. Ordinarily, Louisa would have agreed with her. But right now, she didn’t feel brave enough to approach anyone to ask if they wanted to go riding with her, and it wasn’t too dark out. One of the first things that Louisa had noticed about Jorvik was the way that the sun took ages to fully set. Maybe it was just from where it was in the world, and for a few moments, she’d wondered if Jorvik was one of those places where the sun never truly set. But then, she’d remembered waking up in the middle of the night to a starry sky. Maybe it was dependent on the season. Maybe she should have researched this more before coming here, treated it as something real and tangible rather than a fairytale, something out of reach, something that might never happen. She was here now, though, and determined to make the most of it.

Goldmist’s stall was, thankfully, close to the front of the stables. He was still awake, too, when Louisa got there, despite how much she’d ridden him today. He reminded her of Westie, in that way, and her heart ached again at the thought of her poor Westie who was probably still stuck in quarantine. Getting him all of his shots had been expensive as hell, too, but it would be worth it, in the end.

“Hey, Goldie,” Louisa whispered to her new horse. He’d already raised his head when she’d entered the stable, as if sensing her, and now he pricked his ears toward her and leaned his head out over the stall door to give her hand a good sniff. “Shit, I forgot where the tack room is already and I don’t know you well enough to ride tackless.” Goldie nickered and motioned with his head to a door at the end of a line of stalls that held other Jorvik Warmbloods.

Louisa looked at Goldie, then at the door, brow furrowed in confusion. That was weird. Almost like he’d understood her. Her curiosity eventually outweighed her anxiety, thankfully, and Louisa walked over to the door that Goldie had motioned to. She hesitated for only a moment before opening it, and then gasped in surprise as the scent of oiled leather hit her in the face. But it wasn’t the smell so much as the fact that this was, indeed, the tack room. She turned to Goldie, gaping, and he only blew air at her.

“Okay,” said Louisa, her voice a little tight. She cleared her throat. “So you can understand me, that’s weird.” Maybe there was a hint of truth to her aunt’s stories about Jorvik with its talking horses and Soul Riders. “Right. I’m sure you’ll be talking to me before I know it. Okay. I, uh- I want to go out and explore this part of Jorvik, if that’s okay with you.” Goldie snorted, which Louisa took to be a good sign. She felt a little strange, talking out loud to a horse. She wondered if any of the other people here had discovered this ability yet. Probably not, or everyone would be talking about it. Or maybe they had, and were just keeping it quiet so that people wouldn’t think they had a few screws loose.

Louisa tried to push those thoughts to the back of her mind, however, as she gathered up the necessary tack from the tack room and carried it over to Goldie. It was pretty basic beginner’s stuff that was given to everyone in the camp, but Louisa hadn’t taken Westie’s tack with her. It would have reminded her too much of him when he couldn’t be there. Besides, she could have it shipped over once he arrived. In the meantime, she was already planning on seeing what, if any, western tack Jorvik had, and then saving up for it. Judging by the stuff she’d seen in the shops around here, though, that would take a lot of saving up. But it would be worth it. In the meantime, the views were free.

“Wait a minute,” said Louisa after she’d finished tacking up Goldie. She’d done a good job, even being unused to the style of tack that they had here. And not because it was Jorvegian. She was just used to the western tack that she always used, with the many buckles and much longer reins and different bridles and blankets. Thankfully, though, they’d all been given a few introductory lessons on how to fit the tack to the horse. “You can take me back here if we get lost, right?” Goldie nickered, closing his eyes and stretching his nose towards her. Almost as if he was telling her that she could trust him. Louisa smiled, feeling emotions well up in her eyes and throat again. That was another reason she’d decided to go alone but for Goldie- she didn’t want to worry anyone or seem like a big sook with her tears.

Louisa petted Goldie’s nose, trying to breathe deeply to swallow her tears, and then led him out into the stableyard. Jenna spotted her, and Louisa raised her hand in a wave.

“I’m just going to ride around the area for a bit,” said Louisa. “Get to know the place and my horse a bit better.”

“Okay,” said Jenna. “I trust you, Louisa, that warning about going with others was mostly for the kids. Never know what they’ll get up to out there.”

“I’m sure you have some horror stories about that,” said Louisa with a laugh. Jenna shook her head, her lips curving upward in a nostalgic smile.

“It’s those darn ghost stories, I swear,” said Jenna. “They get themselves all worked up, then a horse breaks a stick underhoof and suddenly you’ve got a spooked horse and a lost kid on your hands.” Louisa laughed along with her.

“Well, don’t worry, I’ve got a bit of a better head on my shoulders,” said Louisa.

“So does Goldie,” said Jenna, reaching out to stroke the horse’s nose. “Gentlest stallion I ever knew, this one. I’m glad Thomas matched him with you.”

“Me too,” said Louisa, smiling at her. “We’ll be back before nightfall, I hope.”

“Got your phone and wallet?” Jenna asked. “Phones work pretty well as torches in a pinch, or you can call someone to come pick you up. Or stay at one of the other inns, there’s one in every village or town around here. Except Silverglade Village, you’ve got to go up to the manor if you want to stay the night there.”

“Thanks,” said Louisa. “I’ve got the number of that trailer guy too, the one you made us all put into our phones first thing.”

“With the amount of people getting lost around here, he’s basically on speed dial,” said Jenna. “Have a nice ride, Louisa. Just don’t be too late back, we start early in the morning.”

“Gotta teach those kids routine somehow,” said Louisa. Jenna nodded.

“Got it in one,” said Jenna. “See you later.”

“Bye,” said Louisa, smiling at her as she nudged Goldie’s sides with her heels and rode out of the high white walls of Moorland Stables.

Louisa could have headed up the hill to the highland, where a lot of young men and women had gone today, but she wasn’t interested in the ‘hot’ man who apparently lived up there. Instead, Louisa rode Goldie up a gently-sloping road that split into two not far past the blacksmith’s and the championship area. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever ride in a championship, though- too many eyes on her.

“Fort Pinta or Silverglade Village?” Louisa mused, looking first one way and then the other. From what she’d learned in the brief rundown that Jenna had given them of the surrounding areas, Fort Pinta was more of a beachy, tourist destination while Silverglade Village was mostly a town surrounded by farms. Both seemed like nice places to explore, but… the soaring mountains in the direction of Fort Pinta seemed to call her name.

Goldie seemed to agree, almost having a spring in his step as he cantered up the road that led to Fort Pinta. Another fork soon approached, along with what looked like a graveyard. Even in the sunset, there was something spooky about it. Shivering, Louisa turned Goldie again, riding him along the little road to another fork and then taking the road that led past the river. It had smelled brackish at first, but, as Louisa and Goldie approached a bridge, the river began to smell more like a freshwater one. Louisa wanted to cup the water in her hands and drink it, but wasn’t sure if that would be safe or healthy. She didn’t know Jorvik well enough, even if her aunt would have told her that the water was fed by glaciers and tasted as sweet as the rainwater that came from their tanks back home.

After crossing the little stone bridge, Louisa and Goldie came to another fork. Louisa had to laugh.

“So many forks here, it’s like a cutlery drawer,” said Louisa. Goldie whinnied, as if in amusement. “Thanks for laughing. But which way now?” A signpost declared that one road led to Valedale or Firgrove, while another led to The Fire Trail. It sounded nice, despite the rather ominous name, so Louisa headed down the trail that was remarkably paved with cobblestones and free of any fire. Maybe someone had graffitied the sign, or maybe there was some story behind it that she didn’t know.

What Louisa did know, though, was that Jorvik was completely and utterly beautiful. She didn’t recognise a single tree, not that she’d exactly been a botanist back home. But the grass was so vibrantly green, like in a picture book, and the sky was painted a glorious pink-orange from the sunset. Louisa felt her heart lift in her chest as she rode slowly, enjoying the sights and sounds and smells. The wind that blew off the ocean carried with it the smell of salt, mixed of course with the scent of horses. There was no escaping that particular scent here in Jorvik. Not that Louisa would ever want to.

Goldie perked up after a little while of riding, though, surprising Louisa out of her reverie of admiring everything.

“Woah, Goldie, what are you doing?” Louisa asked, trying to grip the reins a little tighter. Goldie snorted, tossing his head to loosen her hands. But Louisa barely had time to worry before Goldie slowed again. “Now, what was that a- oh.”

Looking around, Louisa discovered that Goldie had brought them to an apple grove. It smelled absolutely delicious, so Louisa had no problem dismounting and taking the bit from Goldie’s mouth so that he could munch on some of the fallen apples. Louisa plucked one from a tree herself, using a stepladder that was apparently placed there for just that purpose, and then sat down on one of the ladder’s steps. The apple tasted just like they did in all of the books that Louisa had read. She’d tasted apples before, of course, but this… wow. 

Sitting there with Goldie in the apple grove, both of them enjoying a delicious dessert of apples while the sunset bathed them in rosy hues, Louisa felt like she was living in a fairytale. She wondered if it would ever end, and hoped that it wouldn’t. Her aunt really had been right about Jorvik all along.


End file.
